Far Longer than Forever
by morecolorfulmoniker
Summary: Following the events of episode 3x11, Killian is sitting alone when David approaches, sharing a tale of a time when his own true love lost all memory of him and giving Killian something that all happy endings start with. Hope. (Partially inspired by The Swan Princess)


"Mind if I join you for a drink?" a familiar voice asked as Killian looked up from his spot on the ground against a nearby tree at the edge of the forest to find David standing over him. He wore a sympathetic smile that didn't mask the pain in his eyes.

"I'm not partaking, but you're more than welcome, mate," he answered as David sat down across from him, taking the flask he offered, confusion twisting his expression.

"You, who drinks to the entire spectrum of human emotion, have chosen _now_ to sober up?" he asked, a friendly tone to his mocking that forced a small smile on Killian's face before his lips fell back down into the frown he'd been wearing more often than not for hundreds of years. He slid his finger along his hook, a looking glass that revealed every painful memory he'd ever lived with no means of escape. It was as much a part of him as the pain itself.

"I drink to forget…the loss of my brother, my first love, myself. But I can't forget Emma. I would never want to forget Emma, even if she's forgotten me," he said, eyes on the ground as he drew his hook through the dirt, cutting a deep line next to his leg. He had made Emma a vow that he intended to keep, no matter the pain it would inevitably cause him. He would always think of her, replaying every moment he'd ever spent in her presence over and over in his head. He would remember every detail, from the impossible shade of green in her eyes to each unique tone of her voice…annoyed and grateful, curious and even jealous.

"Snow forgot me once," David responded darkly, his words pulling Killian's eyes back up to meet his gaze. He didn't have to ask for David to continue. "I don't know how familiar you are with my story, but I was once forced into an engagement to benefit King George's kingdom. King George found out that I loved Snow, and he threatened to kill me if she didn't break my heart...tell me that she didn't love me in return. So she did. And the pain became so difficult for her to bear that she sought out Rumplestiltskin for a potion that would make her forget me, the source of her pain. When I learned what she'd done, I went to her and I tried true love's kiss to break her curse."

"You tried?" Killian asked. "I was led to believe that true love's kiss is the most powerful magic that exists."

"Only if each person remembers that they have a true love," David corrected him. "When I kissed her…" he trailed off for a moment, a smile forming and widening on his face until he chuckled to himself. "…she kicked my ass."

"From what I know of your wife, that doesn't surprise me," Killian replied, casting a glance over at the princess who was standing some distance away, at the campfire. Though she appeared quite fragile to the stranger's eye, she was every bit as tough as her husband…a toughness that Killian recognized in their daughter. "How did you reverse the potion?" he asked after a moment.

"I took an arrow to keep her from making a terrible mistake. I risked my life for her. I believe that I was always there in her heart…that she couldn't have completely forgotten me. But I had to do something big, something familiar…a sacrifice to remind her."

"Why are you sharing this with me?" Killian asked, knowing that there was something more, a reason why David had chosen to reveal this part of his past.

"I see the way you look at her…the way she looks back at you. That's how Snow and I look at each other. I know that your story is different than ours, and I certainly wouldn't have handpicked you for my daughter, but I know what it looks like: true love. And I see you together. The way she smiles with you…because of you…is different. She doesn't have to figure out who she is or where she stands with you. Her entire life has been about not knowing who she really is and discovering herself along this crazy path we set in motion for her…but you look at her like you've known her all along."

Killian stayed silent, unable to supply a response, to find any words that wouldn't cut deeply into his heart. The truth was that he knew exactly who Emma was and at the same time, he didn't have a clue. Because she was everything. She was an orphan, alone and broken. She was a daughter, loved and cherished. She was a princess, a natural born leader with the kind of beauty that could stop the breath in a man's lungs. And she was a pirate, seeking out ancient treasure and fearlessly engaging in fights with nothing but a sword and her fist. But most of all, she was the culmination of every moment she'd ever lived, and Killian counted himself as the luckiest man in all the realms to have played even a small part in such an incredible life.

"You don't have to say it. The first time you say it will be to Emma," David's voice cut through his thoughts, earning his attention again. Before Killian could open his mouth to respond, David was there to answer the statement he hadn't made. "When you love someone, you will _always_ find each other."

Killian nodded as David handed his flask back to him, stood up, and left him alone. Why shouldn't he believe that he would find Emma…that he would see her again? It was impossible. But until the day that she had come into his life, he would have said that impossible was the idea that he would love another after losing Milah. Emma was impossible. The way that he felt about her was impossible. And yet, the impossible was as real as the emptiness in his heart caused by her absence. So he stood, starting the walk back over to rejoin the group at the campfire, and he made another vow to Emma. An everlasting vow. He would find her, even if it took the rest of forever. And he would love her for far longer than that.


End file.
